The Last Days
by TMNT-Queen
Summary: "All I remember is fire and pain - and screaming. He was screaming." A mission gone awry leaves the youngest Hamato reeling with loss. But he's not alone, and for once it's his turn to be the big brother. TMNT AU. Rated T to be safe.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The blond-haired teen hummed softly to himself as he crept upstairs. It had always been impossible for him to be completely silent - even in situations like the current one.

But as soon as he opened the door to the crappy, run-down apartment, the song died on his lips. Ice cold fear shot through his veins and he rushed forward. The need to be quiet was completely forgotten.

The apartment had been ransacked.

Books and papers were scattered everywhere. The few pieces of halfway decent furniture that remained in the rooms were smashed to pieces. Someone had punched huge holes in the walls.

But he didn't care about any of that. His voice, unused to anything more than a quiet sentence here and there, cracked as he called out through his ruined home. The single word echoed in the silence, and the only response was the pounding of his feet on the old floor. He yelled again, frantically, and got the same result.

Then he heard it. A little sniffle.

The blond tore down the hallway and into his bedroom, shoving aside the heavy bedframe in seconds. He reached down and tugged at the floorboards until a whole panel of them opened to reveal the body underneath.

A scrawny kid with shaggy brown hair and a dirty, tearstained face stared up at him, lip quivering. He sniffled again and launched himself into the bigger boy's arms.

"I was so scared," he whimpered. "I was playing a game and I heard all these footsteps outside, an' so i went and hid just like you told me to. They were really loud and mean and they said they wanted to _k-kill_ me-"

"Shh. It's okay. You're safe, i promise."

"Did I...did I do a good job?"

Michelangelo smiled and blinked back the tears from his baby-blue eyes, cursing every deity he knew because of...well...everything. "Yeah, Leo. You did real good."

 **A/N: Sooooo...whatcha think? Is this an AU worth reading? Do you want to know what happened to them? What about the others? *crud-eating grin***

 **Review. Please. I desperately wish to read reviews. XD**


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: Was definitely not expecting such an overwhelmingly positive response. I am speechless._

 **Chapter 1**

 **ONE YEAR AGO.**

 _"Mikey, get up! I'll drag your butt out of bed myself if you're not out in two seconds!"_

The freckled teen groaned and rolled over, sleepily tugging the pillow over his head in an effort to block out the pounding on his door. It almost worked. He was drifting back into dreamland when said door flew open and slammed into the wall.

Without warning, he was soaking wet and _freezing._ He yelped and shot out of bed, glaring accusingly at his older brother. "Ra _aaaph_ " he whined. "Come on. Really?"

The hothead shrugged, smirking, and left the room. Mikey sighed and cast a longing glance at his now-drenched bed, then followed.

 _Make breakfast. We're starving. Feed me before I become a grumpy bloated buffalo. Always the same old thing,_ he thought to himself. But he started making eggs and French toast without complaint. It wouldn't get him anywhere anyway.

Raph was sitting at the table flipping through a magazine when he turned around with a plate full of hot breakfast. Two more pairs of footsteps sounded - one slow and shuffling, and the other barely noticeable. Or it would be, to anyone other than Mikey himself.

As predicted, a barely-awake Donatello staggered into the kitchen, already groping for his cup of strictly "no-cream-no-sugar-black-as-my-soul" coffee. Leo followed soon behind. The blue-banded leader flicked Raph on the shoulder as he walked by and took a seat, studiously ignoring the fiery glare he got in response.

"Good morning, Mikey."

Cool "leader voice," huh? Rough night of sleep, followed by unfocused meditation. He'd want some herbal tea to help himself calm down. "Morning, bro," the youngest replied, grinning a little as he set the tea kettle on to boil.

By the time Donnie was on his second cup of coffee, he was considerably more awake. Everyone else was mostly finished with breakfast - even Master Splinter had appeared briefly and offered his students a small smile as he grabbed a cheesesicle and a teacup of his own. It was Sunday, which meant no training. They were free to spend the day however they'd like.

Raph stood up, pocketing his magazine. "I'm gonna go hang out with Casey today," he announced. "There are some places he wanted to show me."

"Just be careful," was all Leo said. He looked up from whatever novel he was currently reading and gave the brawler a rare look of affection. "And be back before patrol."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Mom." But there was a smile in his voice.

"Oh, and Raph? Have fun."

Raph grinned and was gone, roaring away down the tunnels on his bike. Donnie knocked back the last of his coffee and rubbed Mikey's head before disappearing into his lab. Leo sighed and put his book down to help clear the table.

"I've got it bro," the youngest said quickly. "Really. Go enjoy your day." It was really nice to see Leo just relaxing - not worrying about saving the world, or his brothers. Just... breathing.

"You sure?"

"Course I am. It's fine, Leo. Go chill."

He didn't need to be told twice. Mikey shook his head and started gathering up dishes as his oldest brother headed into the living room for some much-needed rest. _He's so stubborn sometimes._

After the dishes were washed and put away, Mikey decided that he was going to go see Leatherhead. It had been a long time since they'd gotten together - but hey, no time like the present, right?

Leo just smiled at him when he said as much. "Sure, Mike. As long as you let me know when you get there I'm cool with it."

The orange-masked ninja readily agreed. He threw his arms around his sibling in a quick hug, called out a goodbye to Donnie, and ran into the tunnels with happiness on his face.

Maybe if he'd stayed home, things would be different.

 **A/N: Mainly intro stuff... we'll be getting into the meat of the story soon.**


	3. Chapter 2

_"Some memories never leave your bones, like salt in the sea; they become part of you. And you carry them."_

 **Chapter 2**

 **NOW.**

It was two days later that Mikey discovered their new home.

He and Leo had spent the better part of those two days hiding in filthy alleyways, scrounging for whatever food and warmth and shelter they could find. All the while, the blond had been searching every inch of their path for somewhere they could use for a while to lay their heads down. And on the second night, just as the curfew sirens started blaring, he found himself staring up at what was once one of his family's favorite places.

Tears stung at his bloodshot eyes and he tried to blink the moisture away before Leo could see. A few clicks of his lockpick and the side door swung open. "Hey, bro," he called back into the alley. "Come on. I found a-" His voice cracked. "I found a home for us."

Seven-year-old Leo hurried over, expression brightening. "Really really?"

"Really really."

The kid pumped his fist in a silent cheer, stepping into the abandoned restaurant. A thick layer of dust covered everything in sight. Nobody had been here in a long, long time. But somehow, Mikey could still smell his favorite food.

He pretended that his eyes were watering from the dust.

As the older brother locked the door behind them, Leo ran around inspecting everything. "This is so cool! Was this a real rest'rant?"

"Yeah, it was," Mikey replied quietly.

"Did real people actually come to eat here?"

"Uh-huh."

"Awesome!" Leo ducked behind the worn counter and abruptly stopped moving. "Whoa," he gasped, cobalt eyes widening. "Check this out!" He pulled out a long, gleaming _odachi_ and Mikey yelped, darting forward to grab the weapon.

"Don't touch the shiny pointy things, lil dude. I don't want you getting hurt."

Leo crossed his arms and pouted. "I won't get hurt. I'm a big kid! Almost seven and a half! I can take care of myself."

Despite himself, Mike smiled a little. "I know you can, bro. But this isn't our stuff, okay? We shouldn't touch it."

"But the people who own it aren't comin' back, are they?"

The words hit him hard. He stared at Leo, then the blade in his hand. Back at Leo.

 _"He needs help_ now."

 _"And we'll help him, right after I finish this plan-"_

 _"Screw your stupid plans! I'm going and there's nothing you can do to stop me."_

 _"If you walk out that door, don't bother coming back."_

He was crying. Sobbing, really. Loud, ugly, heaving sobs that made his chest hurt. He dropped the _odachi_ and fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself. He hadn't cried since the night that he found out Leo was still alive. And it had taken its toll.

And speaking of Leo...the poor kid looked terrified. But he was doing his best to make sure his big brother was alright - gently, if awkwardly, patting Mikey on the shoulder and offering him the sleeve of his own sweatshirt to use as a tissue.

This, of course, made Mikey laugh. Who cared if the laugh came out more as a half-gasp? It was still a laugh. The first laugh in God knew how long.

"Sorry, Leo," the nineteen-year-old managed, wiping his reddened face on the ratty, too-big orange sweatshirt he never took off. "Just kinda lost it for a minute."

"It's okay, Mikey. Everyone needs to cry once in a while," said Leo in a voice that was far too old and wise for someone his age. Of course, he wasn't supposed to be seven, anyway.

 _Kraang, the world is so messed up._

But the blond teen slapped on a smile and stood up, brushing off the depressing thought. "Come on, lil dude. There are beds upstairs - real beds. And bathrooms. And maybe even a TV."

His sibling's eyes widened again and he bolted upstairs, shouting in glee once he discovered that it was true. Mikey stifled a chuckle and paused to glance out the window.

 _Where the hell are you, Raph?_

 **Please review.**


	4. Chapter 3

_"The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said and never explained."_

 **Chapter 3**

 **NINE MONTHS AGO**.

"Don't do this. We need you here." Mikey's voice cracked and he swallowed past the lump in his throat.

Raph shook his head and stuffed another set of tonfas in his backpack. "Leo doesn't."

"But I d-do." The youngest ninja couldn't stop his hands from shaking, so he crossed his arms over them instead.

It was a little-known fact that Michelangelo had an anxiety disorder. Most of the time, he played it off as hyperactivity. And most people were fooled. But not Raph. Never Raph.

The hothead's electric green eyes softened and he took a break from his frantic packing. He walked over and gently slipped an arm around his brother's trembling shoulders. "It's gonna be okay, little brother."

"But Donnie's g-gone, and once you leave y-you might not come back eith-either-" Tears stung at Mikey's eyes and he blinked furiously to try and clear them.

"I'm going to get Donnie," Raph said quietly. "I'm bringing him home, okay? We'll be back in two shakes of a turtle's tail."

"P-Promise?"

Raph's heart squeezed painfully and he pressed a rare kiss to his sibling's head, ignoring the prickling feeling at the back of his own eyes. "I promise."

* * *

He didn't come back that night. Or the next night. Or the next.

Mikey sat on the couch for a week, hoping and praying that his big brother, his rock, would come rushing into the Lair with Donnie leaning on his shoulder. Heck, he'd even take _limping_ into the Lair.

But still nothing.

Mikey called, texted, left thousands of messages on Raph's phone...but never got a response.

It was nine days later that Leo came to speak with him. "He's not coming back," the leader said quietly.

"No."

Leo blinked at him, not understanding. "What?"

"I said no," Mikey repeated stubbornly. "You're wrong. He's just moving a little slow, is all."

"Mikey-"

"You're wrong! You have to be wrong. Raph wouldn't...he wouldn't just l-leave." The freckled turtle swallowed hard, trying to ignore how his heart was pounding and his palms were starting to sweat. It didn't make sense. Nothing did - and nothing would, as long as his Raphie was missing.

Leo sighed, dragging a weary hand down his face in an effort to clear the moisture from his red-rimmed eyes. He missed his brothers more than Mikey would ever know, but this wasn't the time to dwell on it. They had to figure out how to get Donnie back from the Kraang - presuming that Raphael never made it.

"I know it hurts, Mike, but we have to assume that Raph never made it to Donnie. He's probably..." _Dead_. The word was too final and it left a bitter taste in Leo's mouth. He couldn't bring himself to say it.

But Mikey understood. His face drained of color and his baby-blues filled with tears. "N-No...he pro-promised me! He _promised!"_

He was shaking, suddenly, and cold. So, so cold. He tried to inhale and found that his lungs wouldn't take in any air.

"Mikey, calm down! You're okay!" The words were foggy around the edges, coming to him from far away. There was a hand on his arm, on his shell, pulling him close. He wrenched away.

 _Not Raph not Raph not Raph-_

"-ikey, please! Breathe, little brother. Come on."

He took a shallow breath, then another, and another, finding it easier each time. When his vision cleared he was lying on the floor with a concerned Leonardo above him.

"What was that?"

"P-Panic attack," the youngest mumbled through exhaustion, slowly dragging himself to a sitting position. "Just couldn't... couldn't b-breathe."

His sibling stared at him with an expression that he'd only seen a few times in his life. _Fear._ They were disappearing one by one with no explanation whatsoever. Without a trace. Without warning. And Leo was terrified.

Mikey took another shaky breath and leaned into him, resting his cheek on the scarred plastron. "They'll c-come back," he whispered. "They have to."

 **A/N: So... it's kinda more backstory. I know I didn't let on about Mikey in the last couple chapters, but his anxiety wouldn't have gotten bad until his rock/support was gone (in my mind). Also, he doesn't stutter in the human chapters because he wants to look brave in front of Leo - someone has to be the big brother, right?**

 **We'll get to what actually happened soon (why they're missing, i mean). :)**

 **Please review.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **NOW.**

After shifting around for the sixth time in forty-five minutes, Mikey decided that sleep wasn't coming anytime soon. He sighed and rubbed at his itchy, bloodshot eyes, quietly slipping out of bed so he didn't wake his brother.

Not that there was any danger of _that_ happening. Since the pair claimed Murakami's as their home, and Mikey stated that they were actually safe for once (as safe as they could be, anyway), Leo had allowed himself to relax completely. That meant he slept a lot more than usual - the kid was asleep about fifteen hours of each day, which seemed like a lot, but he had a lot of rest to catch up on.

Michelangelo, on the other hand, was not sleeping well at all.

The blond teen got maybe four hours each night _if_ he was lucky. Normally he wasn't. His body was slowly wearing down, and if he thought about any one thing for too long, his anxiety started to come back. And that was a risk he couldn't afford to take. Not now. Not with Leo to take care of and protect. The Kraang were still after them both, to the best of Mikey's knowledge, so he could never fully let his walls down.

 _Is this what Leo felt like all the time?_ _Kraang. We were always so hard on him about it, too._

Guilt welled up inside him again but he shoved it back down. There wasn't room for guilt in the world anymore. There was only the harsh reality that they were being hunted, and that every breath could be their last.

 _I really wish Raph was here_ , Mikey thought, not for the first time. He sighed again and padded downstairs to the kitchen, where he knew there were leftovers from last night's dinner of ramen noodles. It wasn't much, but they didn't go hungry.

Mikey tossed his cellphone on the counter, threw the ramen into the microwave that somehow worked, and waited until the machine beeped. He stared at the food he'd just made and promptly decided he wasn't hungry after all.

For a while, the blue-eyed teen just sat at the bar, staring at absolutely nothing. Everything hurt. Everything sucked. "How did it go so wrong?" he asked the air. The air, of course, didn't respond, and the question drifted away into silence.

And then his phone buzzed with an incoming text.

Mikey yelped and shot backwards out of his seat, landing in an undignified heap on the dusty floorboards. His tailbone ached in protest - _oh yeah, no shell to cushion the fall_ \- but he could care less. Someone was texting him.

Someone was _texting him._

It shouldn't have excited him as much as it did. He probably shouldn't have gotten his hopes up, either. But the numbers that connected the T-Phones were private, unreachable to the general public, and only a very few people could contact each other on that closed circuit.

Shakily, the nineteen-year-old stood up and reached for the now-silent device. He paused right before his hand touched it; his fingers shook as he took a deep breath and turned the phone over.

 _NEW MESSAGE FROM: **BLOATED BUFFALO**_

"No way," he whispered. "No freaking way." His index finger moved of its own accord and opened the conversation. The message stared up at him.

 ** _Bloated Buffalo:_** _Sto bene_

Hot tears stung at Mikey's eyes and he didn't try to wipe them away. It was only two words but it changed everything.

It was going to be okay.

 **a/n: hey, everyone. i'm not going to explain the whole text thing in this chapter, but now that i know where i'm going with the flashbacks (yes, i sat down and wrote basically the entire thing in a list last night thanks to a plot bunny) the next chapter should be up very soon. and yes, the significance behind "sto bene" will be explained in chapter 5.**


	6. Chapter 5

_a/n: kinda going a bit farther back with this flashback._

 **Chapter 6**

 **ELEVEN MONTHS AGO.**

"...really. You want to learn Italian?"

Mikey beamed and nodded emphatically. Donnie, meanwhile, sighed and rubbed at his temples in an effort to make his growing headache disappear.

"Mikey, you realize that learning a second language takes time and effort - and a good teacher, normally. I don't have time to teach you, and neither does Leo." It was true. Even though both of the older turtles knew the language, the genius turtle was almost constantly working on his latest hacking breakthrough (hopefully they'd soon be able to take down the Kraang for good and get them off of Earth), and Leonardo was helping April finish her kunoichi training.

But the youngest turtle was unfazed. "It would be my _third_ language, D," he reminded the other cheerfully. "Dad already taught us Japanese. 'sides, Raph would learn it with me. Wouldn't you, Raph?"

The muscular turtle almost choked on his soda. He carefully set the can down next to the magazine he'd been trying to read and turned a disbelieving gaze to Mikey. "Seriously? You want _me_ to learn Italian with you?"

"Sure! I think you'd be really good at it. Plus it would probably be beneficial to have a speaking partner. Wouldn't it, D?"

Donatello was momentarily impressed that his rambunctious sibling knew the correct terminology - and simultaneously grateful that he'd chosen someone else for a partner. "That it would. Chances are you'd both become fluent pretty quickly."

"Pleeeeease, Raphie?"

Whatever happened, Raphael decided, he _would not_ look at his brother's face. He absolutely would _not-_

Fierce green met baby-blue and his resolve shattered. The kid was even _sticking his lip out._ "Fine," Raph grumbled. "I'll learn it with you."

"Yes!" Mikey cheered, throwing his arms around Raph's neck in a hug. After a brief moment of surprise, the brawler found himself hugging back.

" _Come ti cha_ \- I mean, _come ti chio_ \- that's not it either! Augh!" Mikey threw his arms up and growled, then put his head on the table in defeat. "I can't make it. Go on without me."

A gentle hand on his shoulder made him look up again. Raph offered a small smile. "Take a deep breath," he said. "You _can_ do this, Mike. Clear your head and think about it for a second."

The youngest turtle sighed and closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax. After a few moments, his face lit up. " _Come ti_ _chiami?"_

 _"Rafaele,"_ Raph responded. _"E tu?"_

 _"Mi chiamo Michelangelo."_ Mikey opened his eyes again and looked at his brother, grinning. "I did it!"

"You did it," the hothead confirmed.

Mikey hugged him again, softer this time. "Thank you, Raphie."

"You're welcome, squirt."

It should've been a normal patrol. It shouldn't have ended with pain.

It had happened so fast and so unexpectedly. One minute, the two of them had been running at full tilt around the city, talking and laughing, and the next minute, Raph was lying in a pool of blood at the back of an alleyway.

"Raph," Mikey whispered frantically, putting pressure on the wound in an effort to slow the bleeding. "Raph, c'mon man, wake up. I'm all alone, bro, and they're going to find us." It had been a lucky shot from one of the Purple Dragons; the thugs had seen them fooling around and decided to get some revenge. The bullet just grazed Raphael's head - at least, Mikey thought it did, but oh Kraang, there was _so much blood_ and he was completely alone because Leo and Don were on the other side of the city by now.

"Come out, ya filthy freak! We know you're in here!"

"We got another bullet with your name on it!"

Icy fear rushed through the youngest. They were going to die - heck, Raph could already be dying, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Crouched behind a dumpster in a freezing cold alley is not how Hamato Michelangelo was going down. He reached for his nunchucks, determined to at least buy a little time, when a cold hand covered his. Mikey glanced down to find Raph staring at him with pain-glazed eyes. _"Sto bene,"_ he whispered.

I'm okay.

Tears pricked at Mikey's eyes again and he blinked them away. _"Bene."_

A weak grin appeared on his brother's lips. "Give 'em hell."

That was all the resolution he needed. He leapt out of hiding, teeth bared in a fit of rage, icy blue eyes promising nothing less than excruciating pain.

Twenty minutes later, Mikey and Raph limped into the Lair, the latter leaning heavily on the former. Their family was on them in seconds.

"What happened?! We looked for you guys everywhere and couldn't find you!"

Donatello silenced the leader's questions with a quiet command. "Explanations later. Help me get them to the lab."

After four hours, two transfusions, six stitches, and three glasses of ice-cold orange juice, Mikey relayed the entire story to his worried brothers - save the small conversation in the alley. That was private, something that belonged solely to Raphael and himself.

Late that night, as he watched his stitched-up brother sleep, he found himself smiling. _"Andrà tutto bene,"_ he said softly. " _Grazie, Rafaele."_

 **a/n: i don't actually speak Italian, so i'm leaning heavily on the internet right now, haha (though I'd like to learn it; it's a beautiful language). anyway, "Andrà tutto bene" means something along the lines of "everything is/will be alright now".**

 **p.s. told ya I'd have another chapter up soon. ;)**


	7. Chapter 6

_A/N: Screwed up the chapter numbering. The last one was supposed to be Chapter 5, and this one is Chapter 6. Sorry._

 **Chapter 6**

 _ **NOW.**_

Mikey's fingers drummed against his thigh as he sat, waiting, in the shadows. He'd slipped out of Murakami's half an hour ago to head to this particular spot, and though there wasn't even a hint of anyone else's presence yet, he didn't want to be caught unaware. Years of training had drilled _that_ into his head, at least.

Another ten minutes went by and the nineteen-year-old began to get antsy. His baby-blue gaze roamed the rooftop again and he'd just about given up hope when-

 _There._

Gravel crunching lightly underfoot. A whisper of sound as a silhouette came to a stop in the middle of the roof. The shape turned around, allowing Mikey to catch a glimpse of red and green.

Mikey's heart skipped a beat and a lump appeared in his throat. He abandoned all thoughts of hiding and safety as he flew across the rooftop and tackled the warm body in the middle of it. He buried his face in the leathery neck and promptly burst into tears.

"The hell is- _Mikey?"_

Oh, that voice was music to his ears, even as rough as it was. The blonde teen raised watery eyes to meet the fiery green ones opposite him, and was slightly surprised to note that the green was also edged with moisture. "It's me," Mikey confirmed, and his lips were trembling and his hands were shaking and there were strong arms around his shoulders and finally, _finally,_ he was home.

* * *

After a few more tearful moments wherein Mikey determined that it really _was_ his brother and not some stand-in clone, he led him back to base. "But be quiet," the younger warned. "Leo's asleep upstairs and-"

Raph staggered at the news. He reached out and grabbed the alley wall for support as his shoulders sagged and his face crumpled. "Leo...Leo's alive?" he breathed. "But...but the Kraang- They got him. I saw them...I saw him-"

"He's alive. They, um...well...he's a little _different,_ is all. But he's, like, out cold, so don't get really loud and wake him up."

 _Different how?_ Raphael wanted to ask, but judging by Mikey's tone and even his appearance - human? Really? -, it could be any number of things and it sounded like a pretty touchy subject to begin with. So he kept quiet.

Mikey took a furtive glance around before jimmying open the locked door and slipping inside, bolting the entrance securely shut again after they'd both passed through. There was a pregnant pause as his hotheaded brother took it all in and then he released a long breath.

"Been a while since I was in here."

"Well at least it's not as dusty for you as it was for me," Mikey retorted, smiling a little, but the joke fell flat in light of their current situation. His shoulders slumped a little bit and he dragged a hand through his unruly blond curls, trying to figure out what to say. What _could_ he say? It had been nearly a year since they'd last seen each other, and he had so many questions to ask, but now was not the time.

Raph swallowed and blew out another breath. "Leo's upstairs, you said?"

"Yeah. But Raph-" The teen caught himself, seemingly to rethink his words. "He's still Leo, but he's not really _Leo_ anymore. Okay? You can't...things can't be the same now."

"The hell does that mean?"

"You'll find out. Just...don't get mad. Please."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the brawler crept down the stairs again with tearstains on his cheeks and a haunted look in his eyes. He sat down heavily on the floor in the living room next to Mikey and leaned his head against the wall.

Mikey said nothing but immediately curled up into his older brother's side, relishing the feeling of not being alone. For a long time they simply sat there, until Raph spoke up. "How long?"

"Six months."

"...I'm sorry, Mike."

"Not your fault."

Something about those words, maybe the hollowness of them, caused Raph to put an arm around Mikey's shoulders and pull him even closer. The twenty-two year old sighed. "You and I both know that's a load of crap," he admitted quietly. "If I hadn't gone off like I did, left you two alone, then we'd be in a completely different situation right now."

"Yeah," Mikey agreed, frowning, "We'd all be in a Kraang cell, or dead, even. Everything happens for a purpose, Raph...and besides, I'm just glad you're here." His voice cracked and he swallowed to try and keep the tears at bay, but months of loneliness and stress had eaten away at him and now that he finally felt safe, he was breaking. "It's been hell, you know? Always having to worry about protecting him and making sure he had enough food and somewhere to sleep at night that they wouldn't find us."

He left out the part about the myriad nights when he'd gone hungry or without sleep so that Leo could have food and rest. _Older brother makes the sacrifices,_ Leo had told him once, a long time ago. Those words were a creed that Mikey lived by since his whole world was flipped upside down.

Raph's hand tightened on Mikey's bicep, squeezing until the human was sure his arm would fall off, but he still said nothing. What he'd just confessed probably wouldn't help with the guilt complex that his big brother was dealing with, but he needed to get it off his chest.

And speaking of chests...

"So, how the heck did you manage to stay turtle-fied, dude? Do you have, like, anti-mutagen immunity or something? Cuz that would be a sweet power to have."

The mutant chuckled, rubbing a hand over his bald head. "Nah...I was inside when the blast went off. The goo missed me by a mile. Lucky for me, ol' Shredhead built his HQ like an Armageddon bunker."

Mikey had to ask. "Did you..."

"No."

"Oh."

Silence fell again, thicker now, full of mourning and loss. They still had a lot to talk about, but Mikey leaned his head against Raph's shoulder and closed his eyes. And for the first time in six months, he drifted off into a deep, dreamless slumber.

 **A/N: Whew! Typed this out in one night. A plot bunny just ran away and left me to keep up as best I could, haha.**

 **Hope you guys liked this chapter - please leave me a review, cuz those things from you are seriously the best.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **EIGHT MONTHS AGO.**

"Mikey! Mikey, come on, it's gonna be okay, we just have to keep moving and we'll be fine."

That was one thing they'd learned since their world had gone to hell in a handbasket - never stop moving. Hesitate and you were dead.

Michelangelo knew this - knew that if he stopped now, he would most likely never see the outside world again. But he was frozen, gaze fixed on something on the far wall, baby-blue eyes filling with tears. Ignoring his brother's pleas, the orange-banded ninja headed in that direction on suddenly unsteady legs. He reached a shaky hand out to the wall and pulled down the object, swallowing a wail of anguish once it was in his grasp.

The lone sai glinted in the dim lighting; he could almost pretend he didn't see the bloodstained cloth wrapped around the handle. But Leo did.

A strangled gasp escaped the young leader's mouth and he blinked back tears of his own. Pain flitted across his face, so quickly that Mikey might have imagined it, and then he stowed the sai in his belt and pulled Mikey forward. "We have to keep moving," he repeated hoarsely. _Always forward. Never stop._

"Raphie," the younger whispered, and moisture trickled down his cheeks. "Ra-Raphie..." His breath grew shallower and he squeezed his eyes shut. _I can't do this without him... I can't. I can't._

The shock came out of nowhere, drowning him in a tidal wave of agony. Dimly, he heard Leo screaming.

And then he heard nothing at all.

When Mikey came to, there was the taste of blood in his mouth and a headache behind his eyes. He blinked to clear his vision and ice shot through his veins.

 _No. No, no, no. Not here. Please God not here-_

He jerked against the cold steel he was strapped to, his movements sluggish and altogether useless. Across the room, through the thin glass that separated them, was Leo - and he didn't look like he was breathing.

Panic surged in Mike's gut and he tried to free himself again. "Hey," he croaked, swallowed, cried louder, "Hey! My brother needs help!"

 _A crack like thunder. A pained cry. Blood, wet and warm, on his skin. Green eyes glazed with pain._

His breath caught and his eyes dilated as the memory reared its ugly head. It felt like a steel band tightened over his chest as he fought to draw in air. His eyesight tinged black-

-and there was a beep and something was fitted over his face and cool, sweet _oxygen_ was flowing into his lungs. He drank, greedily, and eventually his mind cleared enough to process the fact that there were humanoid figures surrounding Leo and giving him oxygen as well.

For a few precious seconds, Mikey was relieved - and then the relief was once again replaced by panic as a door to his left hissed open and a metallic figure stepped through.

"Michelangelo will reveal to Kraang what Kraang wishes to know," the droid commanded in its monotone voice. "Where is the fourth one?"

The orange-banded turtle blinked. "The fourth what?"

"Where is the fourth turtle? Three turtles plus one is equal to four; where is the fourth?"

Mikey knew, suddenly and without a doubt, that the Kraang droid was speaking about Donnie. The thought should've broken him, because it meant that the stupid robots knew exactly where Raph was - or at least where he had been at some point. But all he felt was a smug sense of victory.

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you, Tin-Teeth."

"Michelangelo will reveal to Kraang what Kraang wishes to know or Michelangelo will suffer the consequences."

"Pfft...hurt me all you want dude, but I'm not gonna talk."

If robots could smile, the expression would've sent a chill down Mikey's spine. As it was, robots _couldn't_ smile, so the turtle had no idea what was about to happen. There was a brief moment of silence and then Leo's body bucked wildly on the table he was strapped to. A scream ripped from his throat, so horrible and loud that Mikey could hear it through the glass between them.

Every ounce of blood drained from the younger's face and he jerked against his own restraints again. "No! Stop it! Stop it!"

"Once the procedure has begun, it cannot be stopped."

Leo's scream gradually died out and he went limp. The steady beeping that Mikey hadn't noticed before turned into a shrill whine as the lights in that side of the room flickered, fading to black.

"Kraang, it seems as though the procedure that was supposed to succeed did not succeed."

"Agreed, Kraang. The subject appears to be in an exanimate state. Further tests will be run to determine if this is correct."

"Wait," their turtle captive interrupted desperately. "What does exami- exanim- what does that mean?"

The droid turned its expressionless face towards him and its eyes flickered. "Exanimate. Lifeless. Expired. Deceased."

Mikey's heart dropped into his stomach as the world froze. Sorrow and anger combined in a vicious wave that swallowed him whole. His vision flashed red.

He lunged forward at the alien, howling wordlessly, and managed to snap the cuffs that bound his wrists. His hands stretched out towards his target and brushed the cool metal body-

And there was metal wrapping around him and pulling him backwards even as he screamed. "You killed my brother! You killedmy _brother_ _!"_

White-hot fire shot through the eighteen-year-old's head and he inhaled sharply, squeezing his eyes shut. The room began to spin around him; he swayed and listed to the side as the world went black.

When he awoke, he was lying in a filthy alleyway miles from TCRI. There were nasty-looking storm clouds overhead, and as he lay sprawled on the pavement the sky cracked open and rain began to pour down in sheets.

A sob tore from Mikey's throat _._

For the first time in his life, he was completely alone.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **NOW.**

Mikey jerked awake, his breathing erratic, sweat and tears trickling down his face and neck. He cast a furtive, fearful gaze towards the opposite side of the bedroom and only began to calm down when he saw that his younger brother was sleeping peacefully.

A heavy sigh escaped the blond's mouth and he swung his legs over the edge of his bed. He made his way across the room and pulled the blankets up around Leo, pressing a quick kiss to a forehead that worry lines had not yet touched.

Leo smiled in his sleep and snuggled down farther, murmuring something about cotton candy and summer rain, and Mikey gave a sad smile in return before quickly and quietly leaving the room. He padded downstairs to the kitchen and took a seat on the floor. Then he placed his head on his knees and wept.

Raphael found him there three hours later, when the grey light of dawn was just starting to creep across the sky. The red-banded turtle looked alarmed at his brother's state. The red-rimmed eyes, curls sticking up wildly in all directions, and completely exhausted expression spoke volumes.

"...Mike? Are you okay?"

The blond head rose and bloodshot baby blue met fearful green. "Peachy," came the raspy reply. "I haven't really slept in months, my nightmares are getting worse, and it feels like my anxiety is coming b-back." He froze and dragged a frustrated hand through his hair. A curse dropped from his lips as he slammed his head against the cabinet. "B-Back. B-Ba-ack."

A soft sob escaped his mouth and he pressed his lips together as if the action could hide their trembling.

Raph was on his knees immediately, wrapping his arms around his younger sibling. "Easy, buddy. Easy. I gotcha."

And just like that, every single wall that Michelangelo had built up to protect himself came crashing down around him.

"Raph, c-can't...ca-an't do this anym-more...too m-mu-much-"

 _Dammit Raph, think! How did you always handle this?_ "Alright, Mike. Alright. We're just gonna breathe, okay? Can you do that?"

Mikey's eyes, though wide with panic, held some understanding, so Raph continued.

"Okay. Okay. Four, seven, eight. Remember that?"

A tiny, tiny nod.

"Alright. In for four seconds. Come on."

Eventually, Mikey's breathing had slowed and his head drooped tiredly towards his chest. Raph sighed and picked him up off the floor, carrying him back upstairs to deposit him into his bed once more. He brushed a few wild curls off of his brother's freckled face and hated himself for what his family had gone through because _he wasn't there._

"I'm so sorry, Mike," he whispered. Tears stung at his eyes and he blinked them away. "I thought I was doing the right thing and I guess I was just being selfish. I hope...well, I hope I can make it up to you somehow."

"You already have."

The turtle stiffened before realizing whose voice that was. His shoulders relaxed and he turned to face Leonardo, who sat up in bed and fixed an unreadable gaze on him.

"He's happy that you're back," Leo said quietly. "Really happy. I don't remember what happened before he found me, but he's...different now that you're here."

"...Is that good?"

"Yes." And then, in a voice too mature for a seven-year-old, "Thank you, Raphael."

Raph swallowed past the lump in his throat and made to reply, only to realize that Leo was already asleep again. He sighed and blinked back more tears...and then decided that maybe being a little soft once in a while wasn't necessarily a bad thing.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **NINE** **MONTHS AGO.**

Mikey cringed and squeezed his eyes shut as more shouting filled the air. The fighting between his oldest brothers was not alien to him, but he wished that they'd give it a break for once.

 _If only Donnie were here. He could get them to stop._

But he wasn't - and that was, ironically, the reason why Leo and Raph were fighting in the first place.

"Why the hell are we still sitting on our hands?" Raph demanded. "He's out there somewhere, you _know_ he is! So what are we doing waiting around?"

"We have to be cautious, Raphael," Leo replied sharply. The use of his brother's full name did not go unnoticed - it had been two months since they'd used each other's nicknames. "I've got a plan, but I have to finish roughing out the details."

"You and your stupid details. In the meantime, Donnie could be getting tortured or...or worse."

 _Expelled._ The movie line rose in Mikey's mind completely unbidden - and unfortunately, so did his reaction. It came as a chuckle at first, and then turned into full-fledged laughter.

This wasn't regular laughter. It was the awful, painful, hysterical laughter that was the only alternative to crying.

Raph and Leo turned to him with annoyance on their faces, but soon became extremely concerned. "Mikey, are you-"

And before Leo could finish, Michelangelo bolted.

* * *

He spent the next three hours wandering the rooftops of the city and ignoring his siblings' messages and phonecalls.

Part of him was honestly hoping to catch a glimpse - _just a glimpse_ \- of Donnie. But there was nothing.

There was nothing.

For the first time in his life, Mikey tasted real despair. His happy-go-lucky attitude dissipated as his knees gave out; he sank to the rooftop, threw back his head, and screamed.

* * *

Mikey screamed and sobbed until his throat burned and his tear ducts ran dry. He didn't care who heard him. It had been two months since Donnie disappeared and their little family was slowly falling apart.

Eventually, when the first grey light of dawn peeked over the horizon and the city started to buzz again, the orange-banded ninja climbed down into the sewers and made his slow trek back home.

Leo was on him the second he stepped through the door. "Kraang, Mikey, are you okay?! What were you thinking, running off like that? You didn't answer your phone and I thought..."

Mikey tuned him out, turning his thoughts instead towards Raphael, who was watching him from the kitchen doorway. There was a storm in those green eyes - he could see it, and he wasn't really looking forward to facing it. But anything had to be better than the hell they were going through now.

"I just wish Donnie would come home," Mikey whispered, and his face crumpled, and around him, the world was silent.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter** **Ten**

 ** _NOW_.**

The next time Mikey woke up, his icy-blue eyes took a minute to focus properly.

The clock on the nightstand glared at him, bright red numbers accusing. _2:45 AM._ Mikey's stomach grumbled and he stifled a sigh, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and tried to ignore the way his head was spinning.

 _Panic attacks suck._

His cheeks burned as he recalled how he'd broken down last night; he hadn't been that vulnerable since the night he'd found his "youngest" brother again. And speaking of which...

The freckled teen glanced at the bed opposite him, a smile already on his face...and his heart stopped.

Leo was gone.

Fear shot through Michelangelo's veins. _Nononono-_ He reached out, tried to stand, but his legs were tangled in the blankets-

 _His leg was trapped_ _, pinned between metal and concrete, and a scream bubbled up from deep inside of his chest as he tried to tug it free._

"-ikey-"

 _"Halt, or you will be terminated!"_

 _"Please, please, please," Mikey whimpered, tears streaming down his face. The robots rushed at him in a wave, and in one final desperate attempt, he shoved at the concrete slab with all his might. It gave way with a horrible screech._

 _He bolted down the corridor, limping as fast as he could, back towards the holding cells_. _There **had** to be another way out._

 _"Hey, somebody help me!"_

 _Mikey jerked to a stop, eyes wide. That sounded like...no. That was impossible. Leo was gone._

 _And yet, as he rounded the corner, his breath caught in his throat._

 _Inside one of the rooms was a human boy, no more than eight or nine years old, with wild brown hair. But those eyes..._

 _Michelangelo would know those eyes anywhere. He had seen every possible emotion inside of them - had looked up to their owner every day of his adolescent life. "Hang on," he rasped. "I'm gonna get you out of there."_

 _His fingers brushed the glass just as Kraang droids poured into the corridor. Ice-blue met cobalt in mild panic, then rapidly scanned the room that the kid was in._

 _There was a window, but they were twenty stories up. If it were any other time, Mikey might've gone for it, but considering the circumstances-_

 _The turtle's moment of indecision cost him dearly, and a bolt of something white-hot caught him on the shoulder. He screamed-_

And there were gentle hands on his face, smoothing out the creases in his skin, wiping away tears and sweat as a soft voice murmured to him. The words cut through the fog of memories like a hot knife through butter.

When he finally came to his senses, he found Leonardo's forehead pressed to his while an anxious Raphael watched on in the background.

"You're okay," Leo whispered, smiling a bit when he realized that he had Mikey's full attention. "Welcome back."

"Tha-anks," the blond replied hoarsely. His cheeks went hot as his eyelids drooped; he was completely and utterly drained, and the pull of sleep was far too strong to ignore.

"I'll be here when you wake up," his brother told him, and he believed it. He obediently rolled over and allowed Leo to pull the blankets tight around him.

If he'd held on to consciousness a few moments longer, he might've heard the shaky question pass Raph's lips. "What the he- what was that?"

"Mikey told me that sometimes he gets stuck," the seven-year old explained quietly. His small fingers brushed through tangled blond curls in a soothing motion.

"Stuck in what?"

"Memories."

 _PTSD_ , Raphael realized. His fun-loving, energetic brother suffered from PTSD now, too. "How long has it been happening?"

Leo blinked; his brow furrowed and his jaw worked for a long moment. "I think...it started after he rescued me. He'd wake up screaming sometimes. I don't think he knows I heard him, but he did."

The mutant felt cold, suddenly, and far too heavy, like his feet were bolted to the floor. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.

Six months. Six months his baby brother had to endure mental torture, and all because of Raph's own lousy judgement and hot temper.

"Leo," Raph said softly. "I think it's time you told me exactly what happened at TCRI that day."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

 ** _NOW._**

 _"I think it's time you told me exactly what happened at TCRI that day."_

"I don't remember much," Leo admitted, looking up into Raphael's unwavering gaze. "Nothing from before he found me, really, except they kept me in a locked cell."

"How long were you there?"

"A few weeks? A couple months? I was living in a room with a single window. It's hard to tell."

There was no ire in the kid's words - but even still, Raph flinched. The mutant swallowed against the curse on his tongue and asked another question. "What happened on the day that Mike rescued you?"

Leonardo's stare grew distant, as if he was reliving the memories. "I was following the same pattern as usual..."

* * *

 ** _SIX MONTHS AGO._**

Pale blue eyes traced the silver-toned walls and the narrow window six feet above the floor and a sigh slipped from deep within a young throat. It was another day much the same as yesterday, and the day before that, and probably every day for the rest of his life.

Subject X-87 knew many things, but he knew nothing concrete. He knew that he was young, nearly eight years old, and that he had no family. He knew that he was being kept alive by the alien robots called the Kraang, but he didn't know why. He was fed at the same time every day, and every two days the wall opposite the door would open and reveal a shower.

He also knew that he was alone. In the weeks that he kept track of the passage of time, he never saw or heard another human being.

One morning, X-87 was sitting on his bed when there was the sound of a distant explosion. The building began to shake on its foundations as feet pounded on the floor of the adjacent hallway.

The Kraang never ran.

Which meant that whoever was out there was someone from the outside world.

Without even considering the consequences, the boy ran to the door and started banging on it. "Hey, somebody help me!" For a long moment there was no answer...and then a freckled face pressed itself to the plexiglass pane in the door. X-87 couldn't help but take a few steps backwards; the thing on the other side of the glass wasn't human.

But there was something identifiable in the creature's wide blue gaze, almost like...recognition? "Hang on," its wide lips rasped. "I'm gonna get you out of there."

Before either of them could do anything, a squadron of Kraang rounded the corner, guns raised to eye level. _"Halt, or you will be terminated!"_

Ice met cloudless sky, and in that brief moment, two of the droids fired. One of the bolts caught the mutant on the shoulder and it screamed - an incredibly _human_ sound - and hit the floor. The second shot hit the locking mechanism on the door and the panel slid open with a hiss.

X-87 inhaled in mute shock. For the first time since he could remember, nothing stood between him and the outside world. Well, nothing except a few dozen angry robots, and an almost-unconscious mutant... _turtle_.

For a few moments, nobody moved. X-87 bent down and nudged the turtle-man, whispering frantically. "Hey, you gotta get up. C'mon, they're gonna-" Pink and white bolts of energy filled the hallway and the brown-haired boy ducked down even further. He tugged at scarred keratin and scaly arms, trying desperately to wake up his would-be savior. "Get up!"

By some small miracle, the turtle jerked into consciousness. His eyes roved wildly in his head until they settled on X-87; that freckled face cleared and then the turtle grabbed him and ran down the hall as fast as he could go. It didn't seem perturbed in the least by the small army of Kraang on his heels; if anything, there was something akin to a smile growing on his face.

"Just like old times," X-87 heard the mutant whisper.

"Wha- who are you?" the boy asked, words jolting with each step towards freedom.

He felt it when the turtle faltered. For a moment, the smile slipped. And then it was back, and they were once again heading for the front door. "Time for that later. For now, I'm a friend."

"Oh. Makes sense." It didn't, not really. None of this did. But X-87 was finally going to be free of the robots that controlled his every move, and he wasn't going to ruin the moment any more than he might have already done.

Within a few minutes that seemed more like hours, the pair were racing towards a stairwell that would take them to the world beyond the walls...but as they neared a corner they found hundreds of armed droids waiting for them. The turtle swallowed and reached for something on his belt, simultaneously tightening his grip on X-87. "Hope you're okay with heights, dude."

"Wait, what? What are you-"

"Hang on!" That was all the warning given before they were hurtling for a nearby window - and then through it. Glass exploded around them, falling like diamonds in the ever-growing light of sunrise. X-87 tried to scream and found that his voice was lost to the same wind that whipped his unruly hair around his face. Above him, the Kraang fired more shots that reflected off of the shattered glass in a brilliant, deadly lightshow.

And then they weren't falling anymore, because the turtle raised his free arm and fired something from it - a rope. It was a rope. And somehow, _somehow,_ the rope caught on the building opposite. The turtle cried out as his arm jerked sharply; he still managed to lower them both safely to the alleyway below, and then he was hauling open a manhole cover and ushering X-87 inside before climbing in himself and pulling the cover shut again.

"Can you run?" the turtle asked.

"Not fast enough."

X-87's savior nodded in understanding and crouched down to his level, turning to show his carapace. "Hop on. And hold on tight."

The human latched his skinny arms tight around a thick, corded neck and gingerly places his legs around the turtle's sides. As it was, the turtle winced at the added weight and the pull in his bad shoulder as he stood - but he shook it off and once again started to run.

"Where are we going?" X-87 asked.

It was a long time before the mutant answered, and when the words finally came, they were so quiet that X-87 almost missed them.

"I don't know."

* * *

 ** _NOW._**

"Wait," Raphael interrupted. His neon gaze was alight with confusion and no small amount of anger. "How did they turn Mike human if he was a turtle when he rescued you?"

Leo went silent and turned his face once again towards his big brother. "That happened later," he replied softly. "And if you want to know that story, you'll have to ask him yourself."

"But-"

"Goodnight, Raphael."

The boy said no more as he curled up in bed beside his comatose, sandy-haired sibling. The hotheaded mutant was left to gape in mute shock as he was so quickly and firmly dismissed.

The shock and anger that followed were quickly drowned out by the realization that his baby brother had undergone much more than he'd originally realized - and that if Raphael had contacted him a while ago, they'd probably be living in a different scenario right now.

Emotions quelled for the time being, Raphael took a last good look at his two siblings and headed to the kitchen to keep watch.

It was the least he could do.

 **A/N: There's a bit of trivia/an easter egg in this chapter. Anyone want to have a guess at what it is?**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 1** **2**

Raph sat at the bar for approximately six hours, feeling absolutely miserable. His baby brother - his _true_ baby brother - had PTSD, and it was all his fault.

 _"Not your fault."_ _And maybe it was the emptiness in those sky-blue eyes, or the dullness of that voice, or the sheer exhaustion on that freckled face, but Raph felt his eyes grow hot as he slipped an arm around Mikey and pull him close. "We both know that's a load of crap. If I hadn't gone off like I did, left you two alone, we'd be in a completely different situation right now."_

Neo green eyes stung with salt and he wiped them with the back of his _very not human_ hand. The sound of footsteps on the stairwell betrayed someone's presence; the turtle didn't have to look to know who it was. He'd lived with his brothers for over nineteen years, and becoming human apparently had no effect on their habits.

Mikey, for instance, added the barest hint of a shuffle to his steps, especially when he was nervous about something. Like right now, apparently. "Hey."

The only sign of acknowledgment that Raphael gave was a low grunt. His gaze stayed firmly pinned on the bar top and his mouth set into a firm line. "Thought you were sleeping?"

"Eh, panic attacks only drain me so much. Apparently fourteen hours of sleep in a day and a half is too much for me now." The blond meant it as a joke but missed his mark by quite a lot, judging by the grimace on his brother's face. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"How I shouldn't've left you guys." It was the honest truth. They both winced. Raph tried to cover up by forging ahead. "I, uh...I spoke to the kid. He said you rescued him from TCRI."

Now it was Michelangelo's turn to grimace; he rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "Yeah. That was...something."

"Look, if I overstepped, I'm sorry, I just-"

"No, you're fine. I just wasn't expecting-"

The siblings froze and Mikey laughed - a sound that was too forced and awkward to be real. Raph hated that. Hated that the naturally bubbly teen had to defuse the tension during conversation that used to flow between them as easily as water.

"Sorry," he mumbled, dragging a hand across his bald head. "I didn't...I mean, I shouldn't have pried."

"It's okay, Raph." The tired smile that flitted across those freckled cheeks was almost tangible. "You have a right to know. I wasn't expecting it, s'all."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"...so what happened?"

"After I got out of TCRI the first time, I just kinda drifted for a while. Tried to find April, but she'd already left the city with her dad. They were trying to get out while the getting was good, I guess." He chuckled, wetly, and his eyes traced the faded rug under his feet.

"I shut down after that. Don't know where I went or what I did, and I don't know if I want to know. Nothing mattered to me anymore. I was all alone, and all I could think was _why the hell am I still here? I've got nothing left._ Then one day it hit me: why did the Kraang just…let me leave, especially after everything I'd done to screw them over in the past? And just like that, I had a purpose again. I had to _know._ "

"So you headed back to TCRI," Raph guessed quietly.

"When I was in the building, I overheard them discussing plans for a new mutagen bomb they were going to blow up over the city." The teen smiled wanly. "Even though it took all four of us last time, I knew I still had to do what I could to take the bomb and the Kraang down. I couldn't let the people in the city suffer like that. I managed to sneak down and cross some wires before they noticed me, and by the time they realized what was happening, they were already being blow sky-high. It wasn't long after that that I found Leo."

"You took on an entire army of Kraang by yourself?"

There was definitely disapproval in Raph's voice, and Mikey bristled at the sound of it. "Well what was I supposed to do? Wait for the cavalry? If you remember, I was the only cavalry available."

 _Fair enough._

The brawler begrudgingly agreed but didn't verbalize it, choosing instead to trace out a pattern on the bar top with his fingers.

"...so, um...we never talked about what happened to _you._ "

Raph's head snapped up and he fixed a surprised gaze on his brother's face. "What?"

"I mean, you mentioned being in Shreddy-bear's HQ, but you never told me what happened, and after I found your sai-"

The faded echoes of pain crossed a worn green face. "It's a long story."

"I think we've got time."

Artic blue met harlequin green with all the force of a thunderclap. _Don't make me do this,_ Green begged. _It doesn't end well._

I _can take it,_ Blue calmly replied. _Give it to me. Let it go._

And Raphael did.

 **A/N: Only a few chapters to go, my dudes - and then I've got a special surprise for you. ;)**

 **Please leave me a review! I need some encouragement right about now.**


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